Game apparatus.



F.S. GICHNER. GAMEAPPARATUS. APPL|`CATION FILED FEB. l5, 19H.

11,273,847. Patented July 30,1918.

E; :EN

l J1 52 Gzbhner,

FREDERICK SAMUEL GICHNER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

lApplication led February 15, 1917. Serial No. 148,765.

To all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERICK S. Gron- NER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which" the following is a s eciication.

The invention re ates to game` apparatus and more particularly to a t pe of toy bowling alleys, wherein a marb e or other suitable projectile is propelled down an alley to a series of miniature pins or any other suitable target.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of the class` described wherein simple and novel means are employed for automatically resetting the pins or objects simultaneously in their proper position after being knocked down or otherwise displaced by the projectile.

Another object is to provide movable projectile retaining means which may be sighted at will by the player.

Another object is to provide a simplified and efficient projectile propelling means which is independent of the projectile retaining device and which may be operated without interfering with the adjustment of the said retaining and sighting device.

Another object is to provide ardevice of the class described which is eflicient, durable, free .from complicated mechanism and inexpensive to manufacture; and yet embodying as nearly as'possible all of the features and attractions of a full-sizedbowling alley and wherein the elements of skill and chance are combined to such anextent vas to make the game highly interesting.

W ith such objects in view, kas well as other advantages which may bein'cid'ent t0 the use of the improvement, the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed, withY the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in` 4proportions and arrangement with-v out departing from,- the nature and scope of the invention. .y f l' In order to make the inventionmore clearly understood there are shown in the accompanying drawings means for carry- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1918.

ing the same into practical effect, without lnnltlng the improvements, in their useful applications, to the particular constructions which, for thepurpose of explanation, have been made the subject .of illustration. In the said drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the device.

Referring tothe drawings 1 indicates the of the front portion main trough or alley having side walls 2 and which is supported at each end by suitable standards or supporting members 3 and 4. The supports 3 and 4 are formed with flanges 5 and 6 respectively which are fixed to the side walls 2 of the alley 1 and which form the end walls of the alley, and which also strengthen and brace the structure. Adjacent the lower end of the alley and eX- tending laterally beneath the same, and secured the-reto by an suitable means, is a stationary shaft 7 w ich movably supports a pin-setting bell crank lever 8. The `lever 8 is preferably formed of a plate of sheet meta-l bent as at 9 to form a pivotal connection with the shaft 7. .One arm 10- of the lever .8 extends downwardly and is connect-4l ed with' an operating rod zor link 11 provided with an operating handle 12, which extends forwardly beneath the alley and 'which is supported at its forward end in the frame member 4. The other arm 13 of the lever 8 extends rearwardly beneath the alley and is pivotally secured as at 14 in any suitable manner-to a circular disk 15 disposed between said lever arm and the bottom of the alley.` The arm 13 is provided with an offsetfltoallow clearance enough at'the pivoted' connection 14 to permit of free actlon. The lever 8 and disk 15 are maintainednormally'ina raised-,position by a coiled spring 17, one endof which is secured tothe downwardly extending arm' 10 and at theother end to the frame 3. Arranged in any desired position on the alley 1 are a plurality of displaceable miniature pins 18, each ofVY which is provided with flexible depending soA . to its raise position. When the pins or objects 18 are in position to be played the disk is in its uppermost position, being held so by the lever arm 13 and spring 17.

In this position the flexible connecting members 19 hang free beneath the disk, thus a1- lowing a limited amount of vertical play sufiicient to permit the upsetting or displacement of the pins 18 by the projectile.

After the pins have been knocked down or otherwise dislodged and'it is desired to reset them in their original and proper positions the operator pulls on the rod 11 causing the lever 8 to rock about its pivotal connection and against the action of the sprlng 17. This causes the arm 13 to lower the disk 15 which draws the {iexible members 19 down through the apertures 20 in the alley 1 and restores the pins 18 to their properly arranged vertical positions. Adjacent the upper end of the alley 1 is a projectile retaining and aiming member 23 provided with vertical walls 24 and a flat portion 25 which passes through a slot 26 in the end wall of the alley and which is pivoted for lateral movement as at 27 to a bracket 28 secured to the frame 4 and which is also formed with an 'operating handle 29. Secured to the outer face of the frame 4 as at 30 is a leaf spring 31 which is provided with a stud or plunger 32 which projects through an aperture 32 in the end wall of the alley for engagement with a projectile 33 retained in armed position in the aiming member 23 by a leaf spring 34 struck in from the face of the side wall 24 of the member 23.

In order that the spring 31 may be easily drawn back and quickly released to propel the projectile from the retaining member and along the surface of the alley to its mark without disturbing any fine adjustment of the said retaining member, there is provided a circular spring actuating member 35 which is pivoted as at 36 to the face of the frame 4 and the periphery of which underlies the spring 31. The spring actuating member 3 5 is provided with a plurality of peripheral spring engaging cams 37 formed with inclined surfaces 38 and which terminate abruptly in ulndercut edges or.`

^ 40 by which the same -may be easily turned by hand. l

In order that the projectile may be automatically returned to the operating end of the device after the same has been discharged atv its mark there is provided at the lowermost extremity of the alley 1 a laterally disposed inclined trough 41 which connects with a second inclined trough 42 which ex- ,tends forwardly beneath the alley 1 to the operating end of the device. The surface of the alley adjacent the pins or objects may be slightly inc ined toward the trough 42 to insure that the projectile will not become lodged on the surface of the alley.

i In operation the pins 18 are raised to vertlcal position by means of the rod 11 and its associated mechanism: The spring actuating member 35 is then turned until one of the peripheral cams 37 has `forced the spring 31 outwardly until it rests nearly on the edge 0f one of the shoulders 39. A marble 33 or other suitable projectile is then placed in the retaining member 23 and is held therein and against the plunger opening 32 in the end wall by the 'spring 34. The retaining device is then moved about its pivot 27 until a proper adjustment or sight is obtained at the pins or'objects 18. The spring actuating member 35 is then slightly turned so as to allow the spring 3l to snap off of the cam 37 back to its normal position. As it does so the plunger 32, moving forward by the mementum of the leaf spring 31 on `which-- it is carried, projects through the aperture 32 in the end wall, strikes against the projectile with considerable force and propels it down the alley toward its mark. The

projectile is automatically returned to the operating end of the device by means of the inclined gravitating chutes 41 and 42.

What I claim is:

1. In a bowling game apparatus, in combination, an alley having apertures at the pin-spots, pins to be seated at said spots, a vertically movable pini-resetting member having perforations, strings attached t0 the bottoms. of the pins and extending down loosely through the perforations of the alley and of the resetting member, weights attached to said strings at a distance below said resetting member and means for moving said member toward and from the pinspots.

2. In a bowling game apparatus, in combination, an alley having apertures at the pinspots, -pins to be seated at said spots, a ver-l tically movable pin-resetting member having perforations, strings attached to the bottoms of the pins and extending down loosely through the perforations of the alley and of the resetting member, Weights attached to said strings at a distance below said resetting member, and means for moving said member toward and from the pin-spots, and a ball propelling device.

3. In an apparatus of the class described comprising a horizontal alley; a plurality of objects removably positioned at one end of said alley; projectile retaining means piv- In testimony whereof I ax my signature 10 otally mounted at the other end of said alley; hereto. a spring actuated plunger adjacent to and independent of saidA projectile retaining FREPERIGK SAMUEL GICHNER. 5 means for actuating a projectile; and a rotatable spring actuating member contiguous Witnesses: to said spring, said member provided with H. H. BENJAMIN, a cam surface adapted to actuate said spring y E. C. BAL'rz. and plunger. 

